Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. (1 Tim. 6:17-18)

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Friday, April 16, 2010

Put your money where your heart is...

Most believers should be familiar with Christ's words found in Matthew 6:21,

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

In the book The Treasure Principle, author Randy Alcorn states that "My heart always goes where I put God's money." If we could take a look at your bank statement, we could see where your heart is. If you're putting God's money into fancy cars, that's where your heart is. If you are putting God's money into a luxury home, that's where your heart will be. In his book, Randy writes,

By telling us that our hearts follow our treasure, Jesus is saying, "Show me your checkbook, your VISA statement, and your receipts, and I'll show you where your heart is."

Suppose you buy shares of General Motors. What happens? You suddenly develop interest in GM. You check the financial pages. You see a magazine article about GM and read every word, even though a month ago you would have passed right over it.

Suppose you're giving to help African children with AIDS. When you see an article on the subject, you're hooked. If you're sending money to plant churches in India and an earthquake hits India, you watch the news and fervently pray.

I've heard people say, "I want more of a heart for missions." I always respond, "Jesus tells you exactly how to get it. Put your money in missions - and in your church and the poor - and your heart will follow."

Do you wish you cared more about eternal things? Then reallocate some of your money, maybe most of your money, from temporal things to eternal things. Watch what happens.

God has blessed us as American Christians with incredible wealth, not to put our money into unimportant, frivolous, temporal things. When we do that, our hearts become attached to the things of this world. If the truth be told, many Christians don't long for a heavenly home because their hearts are here on earth.

Our desire should be on our reward in heaven. We should put our money into what matters for eternity and then our hearts will follow.

So, how about you, Christian? Where's your heart? Perhaps the more telling question is where is your money going?